The Prince and the Red Stallion
Written by R.S Chapter 1 Long ago, when the world was very different, a weak and incompetent king ruled a kingdom to the south. He thought himself a generous king, a philanthropist. He drained the treasury constructing grand monuments, theatres, temples, building homes for the homeless and growing food for the poor. More and more gold flowed away while neighbouring kingdoms chuckled in their fists, waiting for the moment when the king could no longer afford an army. The king had a son, a prince, who had been plotting his father's demise. The prince however could not overthrow his father. The crowd loved him, cheered at him for deeds that would ruin the kingdom. With fanatics as militia, the king could not be touched. Chapter 2 Then one night, a great red stallion appeared at the castle's stables. The prince, who couldn't sleep and was tending to his horses, was surprised and in awe of the mighty animal. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, standing over seven feet tall and with great wings on its' back. The red stallion then spoke to the prince: "Prince, I know your thoughts, I know of your desire to save the kingdom, to kill your father and end his reign, to keep the kingdom from being exposed to its' enemies. And I will help you if you help me." The prince was filled with astonishment and wonder, believing the stallion was sent by the gods themselves, and kneeled before it. "Ask me what you want, wonderous stallion, and I will get it for you," the prince said. The stallion answered, "Give me five mares and I will make sure the king will not waste any more gold." The prince complied and gave the stallion five of his most beautiful mares. Then it marched off into the night and vanished out of sight. Chapter 3 The next morning, all of the gold from the treasury had vanished. The king, astounded and nervous, doubled the guard in his palace and desperately locked himself in his room for the whole day. That night, the prince went back to the stables, looking for the red stallion. It was there as he came. "Stallion!" the prince exclaimed, "All the gold has vanished! Now we are defenceless and open for attack by our enemies!" "The treasure is safe with me, until you can end your father's rule," the stallion explained. "Now, bring me ten virgin women and I will make sure your enemies will never attack you again." The prince scurried off to abduct ten household maidens from the castle and one by one brought them to the stable where he tied them up. The next morning, the ten virgins were gone and the entire royal families of the enemy kingdoms had been slain. But there was still more to be done before the prince could confront his father. Chapter 4 The next night, the prince met the stallion at the stables again. "Great stallion, I still cannot overthrow my father. He is well protected and the people love him," the prince wailed. The red stallion answered, "Be patient, prince. Light me a grand fire on the highest castle tower tomorrow night and wait for me there. Then I will make sure your father is guarded no more." And so it happened. The prince lit a large bonfire on the tallest tower the next night, and the stallion landed near him. "A good fire, prince," the stallion said as he fed from it. "All the guards in the palace are dead. Bring your father to me now." The prince scurried off to roughly take his father out of his bed and brought him to the stallion. "I bring you my father, grand stallion." The red stallion seemed to grin for a moment. He began to grow in a fiery whirl, wings strong as a hurricane, eyes glaring bright as fire, claws sharp as blades, a roar of a dragon. The magnificent and terrifying creature snatched the king with a claw and spoke to the prince with a voice booming: "Bow before me prince, and your wish is granted. You will be more powerful than you can imagine. Refuse, and your life ends here." The prince, frightened by the dragon's appearance, bowed and pledged his life to it. The dragon grinned and snapped the screaming king in two. He drenched the prince in his father's blood, then engulfed him in his breath of fury. From now on, the dragon would be king, and the prince his agent on the throne. His disciple. Category:Books